For the love of all that is holy and good, please DO NOT EQ during the recording process unless you really know what you’re doing – there’s no point in it. The only friends that I know that do it are experienced.

1. If you aren’t absolutely 101% positive that the EQ move you just made is helping the situation – DO NOT DO IT DURING THE RECORDING PROCESS, and save it for the mix when it’s not permanent. Why paint yourself into a corner?

2. If you’re new to the whole process of EQ, there’s no reason out of the gate that you should be making moves greater than +/- 3db. If you cant get it right with only 3 decibels, then you need to switch mics, instruments, amps, amp settings, cymbals or mic placement. TRUST ME, an EQ is NOT where you’re going to find what you’re looking for.

Sorry for the rant, but I’ve been fighting bad equalization all day. It’s a shame as the song is great and the musicianship is excellent, but because someone tried to do too much with their EQ, they’ve permanently tweaked the tone of the whole damn thing.

Stay tuned, I’m sure someone will piss me off with bad compression. I think Steve Albini once said bad compression “makes everything sound like a beer commercial.”

Love,
-Christian